I subscribe used to subscribe to too many magazines. Coins and receipts and nuts and bolts and carwash tokens tend to come out of my pants pockets and onto the kitchen counter.

Where they die a slow death. It’s a pitiful thing.

My computer bag overflows with papers and printouts and library books and pencils and pens.

The work surface of the desk in the master bedroom is many times covered with ‘stuff’. Like camera bags, warranty information, spiral notebooks, calendars and maybe even a coffee cup.

The basement is full of electronics, craft supplies, tools, and gadgets and gizmos a-plenty.

Really.

Clutter bothers my wife – a lot.

Ask my wife and she’ll tell you that she really doesn’t mind cleaning the house. It’s the time needed to clear the clutter that drives her into a frantic fit. It’s a two-step process: You have to de-clutter before you can actually clean. Uggh!

Not to stereotype, but guys sometimes just don’t get it. We hear the same message over and over again, but it never really sinks in. It’s the old in-one-ear-and-out-the-other process.

Men should outgrow that. As soon as they possibly can. Preferably when the wedding band goes on the ring finger. Just saying.

The light bulb moment.

Here’s where laundry and clutter come together.

Since I’m forbidden to help with the laundry. Actually I get to fold clothes now. But still can’t use the washer or dryer, okay?

It occurred to me that a laundry basket can hold quite a bit of stuff. And with the two handles, it’s really easy to carry that ‘stuff’ around.

I wonder. What if I used the laundry basket to help move my clutter (and my kids’ clutter) from where it isn’t supposed to be, to where it should be? Ding! Ding!

Winner. Winner. Chicken dinner.

I’m getting better and better at the de-cluttering process. Over the past few months, I’ve purges lots of stuff from the basement and garage. Most of it has gone to places like Goodwill.

A lot of the junk-junk has been thrown away or recycled. I’m a freak when it comes to recycling. Please don’t let me catch you put a plastic bottle or glass jar in the trash. That’s like fingernails on the chalkboard for me.

At least once a week, you’ll see me and my laundry basket making trips from room to room and going from upstairs to downstairs. It’s AMAZING the amount of crap clutter you can accumulate in just a week.

Here are some tips that you might find useful to cut down on your clutter:

Eliminate or cut back on magazine subscriptions. Do you really have time for them? Can you subscribe to the digital version on your iPad or Kindle or Nook?

Process daily newspaper and mail – daily. Don’t let this one get away from you. Junk mail should be shredded, recycle or trashed. With the crazy amount of identity theft that goes on, I highly recommend you use a paper shredder. We use this one (link to amazon) and love it.

Bills and other ‘must keep’ mail should be processed daily (or as close to daily as possible). I’m NOT a fan of buying storage containers to put your junk in, but I AM a huge fan of having an inbox or in-basket in your kitchen or home office.

Mail, important papers, field trip forms, etc., etc., should be put in the basket and processed daily (or as often as possible).

We have a built-in desk in our kitchen. Our checkbook, debit card receipts, incoming mails (the important stuff) goes in the basket. At least every other day we update the checkbook and shred the receipts. We open the mail and, assuming it’s a bill, we make sure it’s accurate (especially the credit card and gasoline card bills).

The due date is written on the outside of the envelope and the envelope (with the bill inside) goes in the ‘bill drawer’. We keep our bills rubber-banded together in due date order. The bills that are due the soonest are on top.

I can hear many of you asking, “Why don’t you handle your bill-paying electronically and avoid the paper mail altogether?” Great question! The chief bill-payer at house is my wife.

If your wife prefers to handle bill-paying the old-fashioned way: with paper bills and paper checks, you just stay quiet and go with the flow, okay. We’ve been married for almost twenty-six years.

Some things you just don’t question. (Ask me how I know.)

I’m doing okay now.

Me and my laundry basket have a great thing going. And I’m moving higher and higher on the “Husband Scale” every week.

What is your best advice for keeping clutter at a manageable level? You can leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

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Comments

As the only person in our household who puts things away, I have resorted to using a laundry basket at various times. I used to deliver things back to my 2 daughter’s rooms and leave things on their beds. Days later when they’d ask where something was, I’d say “it’s in your room, I put it there!”
I hate clutter! I am the only one who recycles correctly in my household. I get rid of newspapers every 2 days, I file bills in a ring binder as they arrive. This is kept in our study. Every pay day I deal with those bills. I like clean, clear bench tops with appliances put away in their places. Our kitchen table is for sitting at, not a dumping ground for miscellany. Our dining room table is cleared away each night or morning so it is clear. I do laundry regularly so it doesn’t bank up. I wash, dry, fold and put away. Ironing is done as needed (my ironing board is set up permanently behind the study door so I can do a shirt for hubby in seconds) so there are no baskets lying around.
The only area that is a frustration to me is our ‘walk in wardrobe’. Even I can’t keep my clothes in neat order! I try to keep things folded in the shelves but it tends to look like an explosion has happened. *sighs
I guess we all have our faults. It sounds like you are a very good hubby and a great asset in the smooth running of your household.